What's on in East Lancashire

Kickstarter can "produce a flourishing creative sector"

The gaming industry says the number of new UK projects on Kickstarter shows that the site has the potential to improve access to finance for games developers.

TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, also says it is indicative of a flourishing creative sector.

Companies such as TIGA members Blazing Griffin and Blitz Games Studios have been turning to the creative project website to generate funds.

Blazing Griffin is looking for £128,000 for its new game The Ship: Full Steam Ahead, which is a steampunk sequel to the popular 1920s-themed game The Ship (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/709089895/the-ship-full-steam-ahead).

Blitz Games Studios announced it was looking for £350,000 of Kickstarter cash to produce a brand new Dizzy game called Dizzy Returns (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theolivertwins/dizzy-returns?ref=recently_launched).

Other major projects include a new Elite by Frontier Developments. A new Broken Sword reached far in excess of its £500,000 request which enabled Revolution Software to go further and announce a sequel to Beneath A Steel Sky.

More information about these projects can be found at http://www.kickstarter.com/pages/tiga Dr Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, said: "There is no doubt that Kickstarter is proving to be a popular path for an increasing number of developers. At a time when many of our members tell us they are struggling to persuade banks to lend them money, we have an alternative method of funding, packed with incentives for gamers, that engage them in the whole development process. Blazing Griffin’s new game The Ship: Full Steam Ahead sounds terrific and Blitz’s decision to produce Dizzy Returns will delight many. We hope that they both secure the support that they need.”

Peter van der Watt, MD of Blazing Griffin, said: "We’re delighted to be running a Kickstarter in the UK for The Ship: Full Steam Ahead. We hope that players of the original game and new players will enjoy the video and back this novel, steampunk first person shooter murder mystery game.”

Nick Brown, TIGA board member, said: "I’m delighted to see these two projects launch on Kickstarter as they really do represent the creative flowering which we’ve come to expect both from TIGA members and UK developers more generally; incorporating new ideas and approaches whilst iterating on well-loved classics. I would very much like to see this as the tip of the iceberg however and a flavour of what we can expect to come as more UK developers take advantage of what TIGA, in collaboration with Kickstarter, can offer.”